


Hiding in the Darkness

by agoodtuckering



Series: Doctor Who Oneshots and Stories [27]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Also maybe the Doctor has a stiffy, Autumn, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff, Haunted Houses, I don't blame him because Clara's too much to handle, Idiots in Love, Love, Mutual Pining, Spooky, Well there's a scary creature, but it's still fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 16:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16350056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoodtuckering/pseuds/agoodtuckering
Summary: Clara and the Doctor are stuck in a tight cupboard in a haunted castle, trying to hide away from a terrifying creature. Naturally, the Doctor's uncomfortable.





	Hiding in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> For prompt #5: "haunted house".

They were here, somehow. He’d managed to drag her out of a nice, warm mountain of blankets, away from a spooky movie and a lemon zinger cuppa, and all for what? To investigate what was supposed to be a haunted house? A haunted _castle?_ All to wind up running for their lives, like always?

He dragged her into what looked suspiciously like a dusty, dingy cupboard and closed the door as quietly as possible behind them. It was, if nothing else, rather cramped. She was practically wedged between him and the shelves and wall.

He was fighting to catch his breath, eyes wide as he used his sonic glasses for light. Somehow, they reflected light from the lenses and onto the wall. He set them down on the shelf, needing his hands for a device that he was holding. It would effectively blow up the castle, then send it back to the dimension it had come from. This plane of existence, this planet, its galaxy, would all be safe.

“Doctor,” she said quietly. “I think the creature’s coming this way.”

He stopped what he was doing, immediately turning towards the door. He made a quick move for the sonic and turned its light off, tucking the device back into his pocket after. Then, he gently placed the bomb on a shelf and reached out for Clara, a hand covering her mouth to stop her from breathing so loudly.

“Shhh,” he scolded her in a whisper, sending a disapproving glare down in her direction, even if they were in a pitch-black cupboard and she would _never_ see it.

There was a loud, terrifying dragging noise outside of the room and down the hall. It was slow, each movement all but making them tremble with fear. She sought out his warmth on instinct, leaning into him but not exactly reaching out for him. Still, they were closer than before.

As the creature passed, he released her mouth and took a rather deep breath. “I think it’s gone now,” he murmured quietly, still mindful of the volume of his voice. Thereafter, he tried to wriggle away from her but the cupboard was too tiny. There was virtually no space.

She noticed this, his worming and squirming away. She laughed quietly in the darkness, in that tiny space, and asked quietly, “Are you uncomfortable?”

He said nothing at first, which was answer enough, and then she pressed her hand between his hearts to feel both of them beating strongly, quickly beneath her palm. “It’s fine,” he breathed eventually, _clearly_ uncomfortable now.

“Your hearts are beating awfully fast,” she told him, the slightest bit amused. She wriggled closer and she heard him struggle to calm his breaths. “Stop it,” he said quietly, voice a bit rough at the edges. “We’ll be out of here in just a minute. I’m just waiting for the time-displacing bomb to charge. It needs a few minutes, at the most. Let it do its work.”

Oh, she was having _too much fun_ with this. She knew it was hardly the place or the time for it, but she found herself covering her mouth to hide a chuckle or two. It was irresistible.

_He was irresistible._

Harrumphing softly, he quieted down for a short while. Then she asked, “Is that a sonic in your pocket or are you just glad to be stuck in a closet with me, Doctor?” Cruel, Clara. Too cruel.

_Maybe it was about time they stopped dancing around this thing between them, though._

She couldn’t see him but she _knew_ he was probably blushing up a storm right now. Her expression softened in the darkness and she waited for him to respond, if he was even going to. Who knew with him.

“Sorry,” he said softly. Just one word and she was utterly stunned. _An apology._

A small smile found her lips and she reached out again to gently touch his chest, fingers ghosting over the lapel of his red velvet jacket. “Don’t be,” she said. Even in the dark, he knew what was coming. He felt her breaths against his chin as she leant up to him, closing the tiny bit of distance between them to kiss him.

That was enough to make him shut his mouth, to put an end to the stuttering apologies, and to finally acknowledge this incredible thing that had grown between them. And what a wonderful kiss it was.

Charging time-displacing bomb or not, he was _glad_ to be stuck in that cupboard with her.


End file.
